The ScreenUK Industry Podcast

Talent Talk: Urchin. Featuring Harris Dickinson, Archie Pearch, Josée Deshaies and Wendy Mitchell

In this episode we are joined by Harris Dickinson (Triangle of Sadness, Babygirl, Scrapper), whose first feature film, Urchin, premieres in ‘Un Certain Regard’ at Cannes Film Festival 2025. Harris is joined on the panel by director of photography Josée Deshaies (The Beast, Big Giant Wave, Babysitter) and producer Archie Pearch. Urchin is backed by BBC FILM and the BFI.

 

Guests:

 

Harris Dickinson

Writer-director

URCHIN

 

Archie Pearch

Producer

Devisio Pictures

URCHIN

 

Josée Deshaies

Director of Photography

URCHIN

 

Moderator:

Wendy Michell

Journalist and Film festival Consultant

 

 

Host and Producer:

Lawrence Francis

www.linkedin.com/in/l-francis

 

Series Trailer: The ScreenUK Industry Podcast @ Cannes Film Festival 2025

This is the podcast for the film industry.

Subscribe now for the new series of the ScreenUK Industry Podcast, which will be coming to you from the ScreenUK Pavilion at the heart of the Cannes film Festival 2025.

For more information about the series visit www.screenuk.org/industry or follow us or drop us a message on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/screen-uk-industry 

 

About ScreenUK:

Welcome to our worlds

Screen UK represents England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and every region, city, town, village and corner of this place we call home.

The most outstanding screen businesses are born and become brilliant here. Creative and innovative film, TV, documentary, animation and games companies – all with their own ways of bringing creative excellence and unique ideas to screens all over the world.

Screen UK Industry represents our national and regional agencies at key international festivals and markets.

We aim to showcase UK creative excellence to the world and encourage engagement and collaboration with UK talent and businesses by helping to:

> make and develop international connections and provide information about our production industry – including our outstanding production services, talent, locations and content.

> be the place the UK screen industry uses to provide information that promotes their work internationally; and the place the international industry turns to find out more on how to collaborate with the UK screen sector.

 

Talent Talk: Immersive stories in competition

Join us for a deep dive into two immersive works, both featuring in Cannes Immersive Competition. Artists Poulomi Basu and CJ Clarke bring us behind the scenes of Maya: The Birth of a Superhero, an immersive story following an ordinary girl as she transforms into a uniquely female superhero whose powers derive from menstruation. The work will have its European premiere in Cannes. We are also joined by producers Emma Hamilton and Sam Pressman who guide us through Evolver (French Premiere), a work which takes the audience on a journey inside the human body, through the processes that sustain all life.

Moderator:

Ulrich Schrauth | XR & Immersive Programme Lead
BFI

Speakers:

Poulomi Basu | Creator and co-director
Maya: The Birth of a Superhero

CJ Clarke | Co-director
Maya: The Birth of a Superhero

Emma Hamilton | Producer
Evolver [Marshmallow Laser Feast]

Sam Pressman | Producer
Evolver [CEO Pressman Film]

 

Podcast hosted and produced by Lawrence Francis.

 

For more information about ScreenUK Industry visit www.screenuk.org/industry and follow us on LinkedIn atwww.linkedin.com/company/screen-uk-industry/

 

 

 

The International Circulation of UK Films

With intensifying competition for talent and skills, significant production cost inflation and disruptive changes in the modes of consumption, the sales performance of UK independent films face complex challenges. In this episode we meet a panel of international sales agents and distributors to discuss how UK films travel across borders. Do genre films travel more widely than arthouse, auteur-driven films? And what does ‘UK cinema’ mean to other countries? From works by internationally renowned filmmakers to breakthrough first features, the episode delves into the cultural and economic aspects of the international circulation of UK films.

Moderator:

Wendy Mitchell | Journalist and film festival consultant

Speakers:

Stephan De Potter | CEO
Cineart

Stefano Massenzi | Head of Acquisitions
Lucky Red

Sarah Mosses | CEO 
Together Films

Fabien Westerhoff | CEO
Film Constellation

 

Podcast hosted and produced by Lawrence Francis.

 

For more information about ScreenUK Industry visit www.screenuk.org/industry and follow us on LinkedIn atwww.linkedin.com/company/screen-uk-industry/

Talent Talk: Santosh

Writer-director Sandhya Suri, producer Mike Goodridge and BBC FILM director Eva Yates discuss Santosh, the narrative directorial debut of writer-director Sandhya Suri. Premiering in ‘Un Certain Regard’, Santosh is an international co-production, with UK Good Chaos in association with Suitable Pictures and Production Scope in India and in co-production with Razor Film in Germany and Haut et Court in France.

Moderator:

Kristy Matheson | Director
BFI London Film Festival

Speakers:

Sandhya Suri | Writer and director
Santosh

Mike Goodridge | Producer
Good Chaos

Eva Yates | Director
BBC Film

 

 

Podcast hosted and produced by Lawrence Francis.

 

For more information about ScreenUK Industry visit www.screenuk.org/industry and follow us on LinkedIn atwww.linkedin.com/company/screen-uk-industry/

 

Storytelling across media

Meet our panel of creatives, working across film, television and games, and discover how they are playing with different media, experimenting new ways of telling stories. In this episode we investigate creative processes and explore affinities and differences, travelling through traditional and interactive films; short-form content for the internet and TV; and films and novels adapted into games. 

Moderator:

Nadia Maria Oliva | Film and industry programmer

Speakers:

John Giwa-Amu | CEO
Good Gate Media

Neil McPhillips | Co-Head of Games
Blazing Griffin 

Eline van der Velden | Founder and CEO
Particle6

 

Podcast hosted and produced by Lawrence Francis.

 

For more information about ScreenUK Industry visit www.screenuk.org/industry and follow us on LinkedIn atwww.linkedin.com/company/screen-uk-industry/

 

Film Funders in Conversation

Independent film is supported in the UK by a diverse range of public funds, broadcasters and private investors, with funding schemes spanning development, production and distribution. In this episode we bring together six UK public funders in conversation, exploring the funds’ national and international ambitions, the strategies to empower emerging talent in a new media landscape, and their approach to creativity and risk. 

Moderator:

Louise Tutt | Deputy Editor
Screen International

 

Speakers:

Mia Bays | Director | BFI National Lottery Filmmaking Fund
BFI

Isabel Davis | Executive Director
Screen Scotland

Ursula Devine | Development Executive
Northern Ireland Scotland

Shanida Scotland | Co-director and Global Head of Film
Doc Society

Lee Walters | Chief Executive
Ffilm Cymru Wales

Denitsa Yordanova | Head of UK Global Screen Fund and International Funds
BFI

 

Podcast hosted and produced by Lawrence Francis.

 

For more information about ScreenUK Industry follow us at @screenukind visit www.screenuk.org/industry and visit us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/screen-uk-industry/

 

Developing new audiences: international case studies

What do Godzilla Minus One, European arthouse films and anime have in common? Join our panel of international experts for this episode which looks at innovative projects and release strategies to reach new audiences. The episode looks into how young film lovers are engaging with arthouse films in the ‘European Film Challenge’ project; and to what extent the relationship with fans and influencers can shape the release strategy of distributors such as Piece of Magic Entertainment. We will look at new initiatives developed through the Futura Cinema incubation hub in France and the UK ‘Escapes’ project, to create and grow more inclusive and accessible cinema experiences. 

Moderator: 

Ben Luxford | Director of UK Audiences
BFI

Speakers:

Sarah Calderon | Director
The Film Agency 

Ian Cartwright | Co-founder
Elevenfiftyfive

Manon Dulauroy | Distribution Director
Piece of Magic Entertainment

Anne Pouliquen | Director
Futura Cinema

 

 

Podcast hosted and produced by Lawrence Francis (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrence-francis-premier/)

 

For more information about ScreenUK Industry visit www.screenuk.org/industry and follow us on LinkedIn atwww.linkedin.com/company/screen-uk-industry/

 

Working together: how to find your international partner

Film projects need a nurturing environment to thrive, and international collaborations have increasingly proved essential to attract financiers and improve projects’ competitiveness. The episode explores how filmmakers can leverage their participation in international co-production forums and markets to forge sustainable partnerships and gain access and visibility beyond national borders.

Moderator:

Jo Duncombe | Senior Consultant: new talent programmes
British Council

Speakers:

Guevara Namer | DOK Co-Pro Market Coordinator
Dok Leipzig

Alessandra Pastore | Market Manager
When East Meets West

Justin Pechberty | Co-founder
Les Valseurs 

Elhum Shakerifar | Producer and Curator
Hakawati

 

Podcast hosted and produced by Lawrence Francis (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrence-francis-premier/)

 

For more information about ScreenUK Industry visit www.screenuk.org/industry and follow us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/screen-uk-industry/

AVEC and independent film tax relief

This episode unpacks the details of the UK’s new Audio-Visual Expenditure Credits which were introduced at the start of this year. Our panel of experts talk about the new uplifted AVEC of 53% (40% after tax) which was announced in March for UK qualifying independent films. This new measure is open to UK qualifying films with budgets up to £15m and which have a UK writer and/or UK director, or which qualify as official co-productions under one of the UK’s bi-lateral treaties or the European Convention.

Moderator:

Anna Mansi | Director of Video Games & Certification
BFI

Speakers:

Judith Chan | Executive Director
Coutts & Co

Harriet Finney | Deputy Chief Executive
BFI

Isla MacGillivray | Partner
Saffery

Bennett McGhee | Co-founder
Home Team

Podcast hosted and produced by Lawrence Francis (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrence-francis-premier/)

For more information about ScreenUK Industry visit www.screenuk.org/industry and follow us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/screen-uk-industry/